Ruth 3:9

THE MESSAGE

He said, "And who are you?" She said, "I am Ruth, your maiden; take me under your protecting wing. You're my close relative, you know, in the circle of covenant redeemers—you do have the right to marry me."

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
So he asked, “Who are you?”

Hebrew Names Version
He said, Who are you? She answered, I am Rut your handmaid: spread therefore your skirt over your handmaid; for you are a near kinsman.

King James Version
And he said, Who art thou? And she answered, I am Ruth thine handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid; for thou art a near kinsman.

Lexham English Bible
And he said, "Who are you?" And she said, "I am Ruth, your servant. Spread your garment over your servant because you are a redeemer."

English Standard Version
He said, "Who are you?" And she answered, "I am Ruth, your servant. Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer."

New Century Version
Boaz asked, "Who are you?" She said, "I am Ruth, your servant girl. Spread your cover over me, because you are a relative who is supposed to take care of me."

New English Translation
He said, "Who are you?" She replied, "I am Ruth, your servant. Marry your servant, for you are a guardian of the family interests."

Amplified Bible
So he said, "Who are you?" And she answered, "I am Ruth your maid. Spread the hem of your garment over me, for you are a close relative and redeemer."

New American Standard Bible
So he said, "Who are you?" And she answered, "I am Ruth your slave. Now spread your garment over your slave, for you are a redeemer."

Geneva Bible (1587)
Then he sayd, Who art thou? And she answered, I am Ruth thine handmayd: spread therefore the wing of thy garment ouer thine handmayd: for thou art the kinsman.

Legacy Standard Bible
And he said, "Who are you?" And she answered, "I am Ruth your maidservant. So spread your wing over your maidservant, for you are a kinsman redeemer."

Contemporary English Version
"Who are you?" he asked. "Sir, I am Ruth," she answered, "and you are the relative who is supposed to take care of me. So spread the edge of your cover over me."

Complete Jewish Bible
He asked, "Who are you?" and she answered, "I'm your handmaid Rut. Spread your robe over your handmaid, because you are a redeeming kinsman."

Darby Translation
And he said, Who art thou? And she answered, I am Ruth, thy handmaid: spread thy skirt over thy handmaid; for thou hast the right of redemption.

Easy-to-Read Version
Boaz said, "Who are you?" She said, "I am Ruth, your servant girl. Spread your cover over me. You are my protector."

George Lamsa Translation
And he said to her, Who are you? And she answered, I am Ruth, your handmaid; cover therefore your maidservant with the end of your robe, for you are a near kinsman.

Good News Translation
"Who are you?" he asked. "It's Ruth, sir," she answered. "Because you are a close relative, you are responsible for taking care of me. So please marry me."

Literal Translation
And he said, Who are you? And she said, I am your handmaid Ruth, and you shall spread your skirt over your handmaid, for you are a kinsman redeemer.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And he sayde: Who art thou? She answered: I am Ruth thy handmayden, sprede yi wynges ouer thy hadmayden: for thou art the nexte kynsman.

American Standard Version
And he said, Who art thou? And she answered, I am Ruth thy handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt over thy handmaid; for thou art a near kinsman.

Bible in Basic English
And he said, Who are you? And she answering said, I am your servant Ruth: take your servant as wife, for you are a near relation.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And he sayde: What art thou? She aunswered, I am Ruth thyne handmayde: Spreade the wing of thy [garment] ouer thyne handmayde, for thou art the kinsman.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And he said: 'Who art thou?' And she answered: 'I am Ruth thine handmaid; spread therefore thy skirt over thy handmaid; for thou art a near kinsman.'

King James Version (1611)
And hee said, Who art thou? And she answered, I am Ruth thine handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt ouer thine handmaid, for thou art a neare kinseman.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And he said, Who art thou? and she said, I am thine handmaid Ruth; spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid, for thou art a near relation.

English Revised Version
And he said, Who art thou? And she answered, I am Ruth thine handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid; for thou art a near kinsman.

Berean Standard Bible
"Who are you?" he asked. "I am your servant Ruth," she replied. "Spread the corner of your garment over me, for you are a kinsman-redeemer."

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and he seide to hir, Who art thou? Sche answeride, Y am Ruth, thin handmayde; stretche forth thi cloth on thi seruauntesse, for thou art nyy of kyn.

Young's Literal Translation
And he saith, `Who [art] thou?' and she saith, `I [am] Ruth thy handmaid, and thou hast spread thy skirt over thy handmaid, for thou [art] a redeemer.'

Update Bible Version
And he said, Who are you? And she answered, I am Ruth your slave: spread therefore your skirt over your slave; for you are a near kinsman.

Webster's Bible Translation
And he said, Who [art] thou? And she answered, I [am] Ruth thy handmaid: spread therefore thy skirt over thy handmaid; for thou [art] a near kinsman.

World English Bible
He said, Who are you? She answered, I am Ruth your handmaid: spread therefore your skirt over your handmaid; for you are a near kinsman.

New King James Version
And he said, "Who are you?" So she answered, "I am Ruth, your maidservant. Take your maidservant under your wing, [fn] for you are a close relative."

New Living Translation
"Who are you?" he asked. "I am your servant Ruth," she replied. "Spread the corner of your covering over me, for you are my family redeemer."

New Life Bible
He said, "Who are you?" She answered, "I am Ruth, your woman servant. Spread your covering over me. For you are of our family."

New Revised Standard
He said, "Who are you?" And she answered, "I am Ruth, your servant; spread your cloak over your servant, for you are next-of-kin."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And he said, Who art, thou? And she said, I, am Ruth, thy handmaid, spread, therefore, thy wing over thy handmaid, for, a kinsman, thou art.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And he said to her: Who art thou? And she answered: I am Ruth, thy handmaid: spread thy coverlet over thy servant, for thou art a near kinsman.

Revised Standard Version
He said, "Who are you?" And she answered, "I am Ruth, your maidservant; spread your skirt over your maidservant, for you are next of kin."

New American Standard Bible (1995)
He said, "Who are you?" And she answered, "I am Ruth your maid. So spread your covering over your maid, for you are a close relative."

Contextual Overview

⁶ She went down to the threshing floor and put her mother-in-law's plan into action. ⁷ Boaz had a good time, eating and drinking his fill—he felt great. Then he went off to get some sleep, lying down at the end of a stack of barley. Ruth quietly followed; she lay down to signal her availability for marriage. ⁸ In the middle of the night the man was suddenly startled and sat up. Surprise! This woman asleep at his feet! ⁹ He said, "And who are you?" She said, "I am Ruth, your maiden; take me under your protecting wing. You're my close relative, you know, in the circle of covenant redeemers—you do have the right to marry me." ¹⁰He said, " God bless you, my dear daughter! What a splendid expression of love! And when you could have had your pick of any of the young men around. And now, my dear daughter, don't you worry about a thing; I'll do all you could want or ask. Everybody in town knows what a courageous woman you are—a real prize! You're right, I am a close relative to you, but there is one even closer than I am. So stay the rest of the night. In the morning, if he wants to exercise his customary rights and responsibilities as the closest covenant redeemer, he'll have his chance; but if he isn't interested, as God lives, I'll do it. Now go back to sleep until morning."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Ruth: Ruth 2:10-13, 1 Samuel 25:41, Luke 14:11

spread therefore: Hebrew "spread thy wing;" the emblem of protection; and a metaphor taken from the young of fowls, which run under the wings of their mother from birds of prey. Even to the present day, when a Jew marries a woman, he throws the skirts of his talith over her, to signify that he has taken her under his protection. Ezekiel 16:8

a near kinsman: or, one that has right to redeem, Ruth 3:12, Ruth 2:20

Reciprocal: Leviticus 25:25 - General Deuteronomy 22:30 - discover Deuteronomy 25:5 - husband's brother

Cross-References

Genesis 3:12
The Man said, "The Woman you gave me as a companion, she gave me fruit from the tree, and, yes, I ate it." God said to the Woman, "What is this that you've done?"

Genesis 3:13
"The serpent seduced me," she said, "and I ate."

Genesis 3:17
He told the Man: "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree That I commanded you not to eat from, ‘Don't eat from this tree,' The very ground is cursed because of you; getting food from the ground Will be as painful as having babies is for your wife; you'll be working in pain all your life long. The ground will sprout thorns and weeds, you'll get your food the hard way, Planting and tilling and harvesting, sweating in the fields from dawn to dusk, Until you return to that ground yourself, dead and buried; you started out as dirt, you'll end up dirt."

Genesis 3:20
The Man, known as Adam, named his wife Eve because she was the mother of all the living.

Genesis 3:21
God made leather clothing for Adam and his wife and dressed them.

Genesis 4:9
God said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?" He said, "How should I know? Am I his babysitter?"

Genesis 11:5
God came down to look over the city and the tower those people had built.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And he said, who art thou?.... He spoke quick and short, as one displeased, or however surprised and frightened, just coming out of sleep, and in the night:

and she answered, I am Ruth thine handmaid; that had gleaned in his fields with his maidens, and with whom he had conversed there, and knew her by name:

spread therefore thy skirt over thy handmaid; which seems to account for the reason of her uncovering his feet, or turning up the skirt of his garment that was upon them; not through wantonness and immodesty, but to direct him, when opportunity offered, to spread it over her as a token of his taking her in marriage, and of her being under his care and protection, and of her subjection to him; so the Targum,

"let thy name be called upon me to take me for a wife,''

Whether the custom now used with the Jews at marriage, for a man to cast the skirt of his "talith", or outward garment, over the head of his spouse, and cover it, was in use so early, is questionable; and yet something like it seems to have been done, as this phrase intimates, and to which there is an allusion in Ezekiel 16:8. So Jarchi,

"spread the skirt of thy garments to cover me with thy talith, and this is expressive of marriage;''

and Aben Ezra says, it intimates taking her to him for wife; though as the word signifies a wing, the allusion may be to the wings of birds spread over their young, to cherish and protect them, which are acts to be done by a man to his wife:

for thou art a near kinsman; as she had been informed by Naomi, to whom the right of redemption of her husband's estate belonged, and in whom it lay to marry her, and raise up seed to his kinsman, her former husband.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Spread thy skirt ... - The phrase indicates receiving and acknowledging her as a wife.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Ruth 3:9. Spread therefore thy skirt over thine hand maid — Hebrew, Spread thy wing. The wing is the emblem of protection, and is a metaphor taken from the young of fowls, which run under the wings of their mothers, that they may be saved from birds of prey. The meaning here is, Take me to thee for wife; and so the Targum has translated it, Let thy name be called on thy handmaid to take me for wife, because thou art the redeemer; i.e., thou art the גאל goel, the kinsman, to whom the right of redemption belongs. See on Ruth 2:20. Even to the present day, when a Jew marries a woman, he throws the skirt or end of his talith over her, to signify that he has taken her under his protection.